The Turnaround
by DearAmory
Summary: An alternate take on the Nolanverse version of Batman, the story that takes place is a result of the ferries in The Dark Knight actually exploding. What follows is a world in which Bruce Wayne has given up the Batman mantle, where both the Joker and Two-Face are at war over control of the city, and a seemingly unstoppable force is headed straight for Gotham.
1. Bring me my equal back

So, I'm back! I've been thinking about doing this story for a long while now. Well, at least after I saw The Dark Knight for the 5th time. It's an alternate ending to the movie so to speak, with everything changing, and here's a spoiler if you didn't see the movie, when the Joker has Batman pinned down and says "And here we....go." That's where my story begins. The first few chapters will be in character chapters about what happened and how everything changed. Then after that, it shows the aftermath of it, but not from one specific characters point of view. I don't wanna give to much away, so on with the show!

* * *

_"People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?"_

_"Endure, Master Wayne. You could be, the outcast..."_

Those words keep ringing in my head. I told Alfred I couldn't endure this. I should've turned myself in that day, shouldn't of let Harvey pose as the Batman. Rachel would still be here, still with me. Harvey wouldn't be the way he is, he'd be the hero of the city, the one it needed, not the half of a monster he is now. The Joker... he'd be where he belongs; a padded cell with no windows and his only companion a rock hard mattress and a straight jacket. And all those people on the boats, they'd still be here right now. They wouldn't all be floating at the bottom of the river. At least, what's left of them wouldn't be. And me... I would've been a different man. Someone not plagued by the deaths of hundreds of people on his conscience. Yes, it made me give up Batman forever, but at what cost? Hundreds of peoples lives? Rachel? Harveys sanity? Gordons family? They didn't deserve what happened to them. And it's all because of me. It's all my fault. Just like my parents. They died because of me as well. I've lost everything...

"Master Wayne?"

"Sorry Alfred... I was just thinking."

"About what Sir?"

About everything that could've been, all the people who would still be here had it not been for me. "Nothing important. Probably what I'm gonna wear for this party thing tonight." What a lie. I couldn't give a shit what I wore. The only people who care are the press, always looking for a story, no matter how ridiculous it is. I would just wear a black suit, red tie. Same as every other time.

"So you've decided to attend I take it?" He said with a bit of hope in his voice. I suppose it's not unwarranted. I mean, ever since the ferrys, I haven't shown my face in public. I know he was worried about me. The man's the closest thing I had to a father, my second father. And if I didn't have him, I'd be lost. I'd have handed myself over to the mob instead of the police.

"Well, I kinda have to. It is the reopening of Wayne Manor after all."

"Right you are Sir. After all, you did say it was your fathers house, not yours." He would never let me forget that as long as I lived.

"And now it's mine. You're never going to let me forget saying that are you?"

"Never." He let out a slight chuckle with that.

"Didn't think so." It felt good to let one out after so long without doing it.

"Well, let's head in master Wayne, the party starts soon."

"Yeah, I guess we should."

As we were walking back into new Wayne Manor, Alfred, who always knew when something was wrong, asked me, "What were you really thinking abut out there Sir?"

Him asing that shouldn't have surprised me, but damn, did i ever. "What do you mean Alfred?"

"You can't honestly stand here and say that for an hour, you were standing out here thinking about a bloody suit. You're probably just gonna wear the usual black suit and red tie." Wow, he's good.

"I was just thinking about how-" We got inside and what was on the news stopped me dead in my tracks.

"**BREAKING NEWS**. I'm Mike Engel for Gotham Tonight with breaking news. The Joker has sent out a message to all of Gotham City, murdering former lawyer and Wayne Enterprise employee Coleman Reese on camera and warning Gotham that if The Batman does not return by the end of the night, he will destroy the newly rebuilt Wayne Manor, where several high profile members of society are scheduled to be, with rumors of Bruce Wayne making his grand reappearance after months of seclusion. Jerry do we have the tape? We go it? Well roll it. Be warned, what we are about to show you may be disturbing."

And there he was. That murdering psychopath was still around. His face still a scarred mess behind that awful white, red, and black makeup. He was sitting at a mock desk, with the flag of Gotham behind him, only it was a complete mess, with "Ha Ha Ha!" scribbled all over it. His disgusting green hair was combed back in an attempt to look dignified, yet only made it look worse. His purple coat was button up, the tie poorly straightened. But I didn't expect any less from this son of a bitch.

"Attention my children of Gotham, I come before you today to ask a simple favor of you. Ever since my little 'social experiment' went off exactly as I had hoped, Batman hasn't shown us his mug. Where did he go? I know you're out there somewhere Batman, I know you're seeing this. Weren't we having fun? You really need to lighten up a bit Batty, it's only a couple hundred people. Well, I mean, there is the whole business with Commissioner Gordons wife and children. And let's not forget about all those riots, psh. Everyone's lost their mind! I knew that when they saw what Harvey did, their spirits would just break into little tiny shards. They got a good look at the real Harvey Dent, and I guess didn't like what they saw. Have you seen him lately Bat? He's a mess, an even bigger one then me! I must say, I'm fond of my work."

He was getting distracted at how much enjoyment he was taking at mentioning what he did to Harvey. What a maniac.

"But I digress Gotham, I have gotten sidetracked. My point in this is, if the Batman does not return to fight my 'dastardly' deeds, then that newly rebuilt Wayne Manor up there, and all your precious little politicians, especially you Mayor Garcia, since you got threw my grip last time, will be blown sky high. I realized I started out small the last time. But now, I'm starting right at the top. You hear me Batman? Would you come out of your hiding, or have the blood of even more people on your hands? Especially Bruce Wayne himself. How would it feel to have the Prince of Gothams blood to your name? Psht, Prince of Gotham. He may be this citys prince, but I think I deserve a nickname, don't you?"

He got up out of his chair, and walked off camera. You could hear a struggle going on, and after a few seconds, he returned, with Coleman tightly in his grip.

"Yeah, I think you do think I need one. You gave me some after all, what were they again?" Coleman wouldn't talk. "C'mon Coleman, the city's waiting. Answer me." Still no response. Joker reared his hand back and punched Coleman square across the face, all while yelling "ANSWER ME!!"

"The Harlequin of Hate, The Ace of Knaves! Just let me go, please!" Coleman was begging, but it wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Hmmm... I think I would like to be called... The Clown Prince of Crime! It's perfect, don't you think Reesey?" Before Coleman could answer, Joker pulled out a pistol and splattered his brain all over the Jokers flag of Gotham. Then the bastard has the nerve to sit back down, and wipe off pieces of Coleman from his jacket. He took a more serious tone when he started up again. "You see Gotham, I needed to prove I was willing to do whatever I need to do to get what I want. Give me back my equal Gotham. And if you don't, you'll see why it's such a funny world we live in. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

I grabbed the nearest object, a vase full of flowers, and threw it right at his laughing face. It destroyed the screen, as expected. What was I going to do? I could never go back to being Batman, I couldn't. Too many people died because of it. But if I didn't, even more people would die because of me.

"What are we going to do now Sir?" He sounded worried again. He had every right to be. He knew what Joker was capable of, and how he truly was a man of his word. Every last foul fucking word that crossed that mutilated fucking face of his!

"Cancel the party. Call everyone who was coming and tell them to stay as far away from here as possible. When that's done, get out of here as fast as you can."

"What about you? Are you actually going to...you know."

"...No. I'll be right behind you. I can't go back to that Alfred, I never can. To many people are dead, some half dead, because of Batman. That's what I was thinking about outside. I always do."

"Aye Sir. I understand."

* * *

And there you have it! I think I did a fairly good job of capturing the Joker, but as always, review and let me know! I could use the constructive criticism right now haha. Next chapter I'm thinking is gonna be from Harveys perspective. Don't know when that's gonna go up though, since I gotta figure it out first. See you soon though!


	2. Just another monster

I actually continued! haha Well, here's chapter 2, and this time, it's from Harvey Dent/Two-Face's perspective. Hope you all like it! And a little not about the beginnings of each character chapter, they'll always begin with a quote from the character. Not just some random one, but one that fits the theme of the chapter itself. Now that's only for chapters from a specific characters perspective, not every single chapter. Also, in this chapter, **_the words that are typed in this style_** represent the other half of Harvey's personality talking, the vengeful, angry, hateful side. Obviously, it was inspired by the Big Bad Harv persona from the Batman animated series from the 90s. Any time you see writing like that, it isn't being spoken out loud, but inside Harvey's head. On with the show!

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_"You either die a hero... Or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain..."_

And that's exactly what I've become. The villain. That moment changed everything. Gordon's family, sitting there, huddled together in fear of me. _**Or maybe it was disgust at the monster I had let myself become.**_ But they deserved it._** HE deserved what happened to him. He didn't listen to me, he didn't stand up to the corruption that even he knew was there. If he had,**_ I would still have her,**_ I wouldn't have become a monster, and maybe his family would still be like it was. But no, Gordon made his deal with the Batman, Gordon let that madman get away._** Because of him, I lost everything. **_And then the Batman showed how much of a coward he really is._** He left, left the city to burn under the Joker's rule. I wouldn't stand for it. I may not be the man I once was, but I wasn't gonna let this city crumble under this maniac. So I took a stand. Yes, at first the people were horrified of my look, but slowly, they came to realize that between me and the Joker, I was the better choice.

So now, I sit here in my office. It's certainly an improvement over my last one. It used to be Mayor Garcia's, but after The Joker made his threat, Garcia flew out of here like a bat out of hell. I always did love the view from here, gave me a nice look at the city. From here, it looks so peaceful.

*Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock*

**_But that incessant FUCKING knocking is ruining my moment. _**I guarentee it's that weasel Mr. Fields. He always came in here, right at 2:22 PM on the dot. And oh, what do you know, it's exactly 2:22 PM.

"Yes?" I never hid my annoyance for his arrival, and he knew it.

"Mr Dent? I was wondering if you had maybe reconsidered your stance on-"

**_Oh good christ!_**"NO!" I spun my chair around in rage, and I saw his face twist with horror and repulsion as soon as he caught site of mine. "No Mr. Fields, I have not reconsidered my stance, and I will NOT reconsider my stance, which I have told you the past 4 times you've walked in here and wasted my time! Now, just like I've said every other time, GET OUT!! And if I see you come in here for that same reason one more time, believe me Mr. Fields, that look of horror on your face every time you see me will be the last thing you know in this life. Now, GET OUT!!!" He scurried out of here like dog with it's tail between its legs. **_I won't have my time wasted on piss-ants like him._** I won't stand for it. It's because of people like him who made me this way.

I can see my reflection in the window. I can't see out of my left eye, it's been uncovered for so long, exposed to the elements, my sight is completely gone in it. Look at me, look at what I've become! **_I'm nothing but a monster! just like him!_**

*Knock Knock Knock*

Again? "Yes?" It was my secretary, Maggie.

"Sorry to disturb you Mr. Dent, but I have a package for you." I wasn't expecting any package. "From who?"

"It says that it's from a Mr... Maroni. Mr. Sal Maroni," she said that as she extended the package to me. I could see her arm trembling. **_I could see her fear of me._**

"Let me see that." I snatched it out of her small hands. "Thank you Ms. Holmes, you can go now." She too, just like Fields, got out of here as quick as she could. But this package, it couldn't have come from Sal Maroni. Sal Maroni died in that car crash.**_ I can still see his bloody and mangled body as clear as day._** Whoever sent this thing sure didn't make it very hard to open. What the hell? A tape? Let's put it in and see what this is all about.

**_HIM! IT'S HIM! THAT MANIACAL FUCKING CLOWN! SITTING AT THAT SAME FUCKING DESK THAT HE DID WHEN HE MADE THE THREAT! _**He must've made this before the other video!

"Hi Harv. I knew you wouldn't listen to me if I said that this was from me, sooooo, I figured, why not make it from someone you know to be dead? Hmm? I figured...if I put Rachel's name as the sender, you'd flip your little coin and let it decide whether you shot the box... or burned it. So I settled on good ol' Sally Maroni. I mean, you sure did a number on him. I guess seatbelts really do save lives, HAHAHAHA!! But, but tell me that it didn't immediately grab your attention? Try and tell yourself that I'm wrong, you know I'm not Harvey. Anyway, we really should stop all this fighting Harv, it's getting us nowhere.... it's amusing the hell outta me, but it's not getting anything done. So here's my offer, right now... it should be about 2:35 in the afternoon on Friday, April 8th."

How the hell did he know that? He was right on the money about it.

"I think we should get together and discuss some things. Name our terms, since that's the best start to any debate. Man to erm... half man. Let's say in about a week we meet up... in a place you know so, sooo well... Avenue X. In case you forgot, that's in Sicciro.... but I don't think you could _ever_ forget that place could you? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

**_SON OF A BITCH!!!!!! THIS PIECE OF SHIT WANTS TO MEET UP, WE'LL MEET UP!_** He wants to name our terms? What the hell could he have meant by that? That didn't matter, because in a week, I have a feeling that one of us is gonna be dead. This bastard may have gotten lucky the first time, but this time, I'm making his luck for him. Now what to do with this tape. Do I shoot it... or burn it? **_I truly am a monster, I'm thinking of the same ways of disposing of this garbage that he did._** Let's flip and see....

*BANG!*

* * *

And there you have it folks, Harvey Dent's chapter! I want to get the character perspective chapters out of the way before I go into any detail about Harvey and The Jokers meeting, or how the events at Wayne Manor went down. Speaking of characters, the character of Mr. Fields was named after a minor character in a series of videos on youtube. The user's name is TheJokerBlogs, and the actor portraying the Joker in the videos is by far, the BEST impersonation of the Joker I've ever seen. Whoever he is, he has Heath's version down, he found it out, and he's perfected it. I highly recommend them to all of you if you're a fan of the Joker, not to mention, they're original and innovative! I can't say how much they will, but they'll definately have some influence over how I portray the Joker in his chapter. So please, go check them out! I also want to hear how you guys felt I portrayed Harvey, it would mean so much. I don't know when I'm going to get the Joker's chapter up, but if I can, maybe I'll make it my Christmas present to you all. If I don't get it up in time, then sorry, but don't worry, it's coming. Thanks again, and remember, review!


	3. Make it fast

I'm not gonna lie to you all, I kinda forgot about this story. Wasn't a top priority of mine (still isn't really to be honest) but I wanted to at least give it some life after so long. So, like I said at the end of the last chapter, this chapter's told from The Joker's perspective, and how he hasn't been keeping his shit together, which to him, is the norm. And there's a bit of a cameo of a popular character in all these other fanfics. Will they be a recurring character, or just a one off person? Well, when I figure that out, so will you. Enjoy!

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_"You wanna know how I got these scars?"_

This one, waaaas a fighter, OOO what fun! Blond hair, big blue eyes full of fear. The knife againsts her cheek was an added plus to her beauty, but prettty soon, she'd be soooo much more beau-ti-ful. Now, which story to tell... hmmm... drunk father? Noooo... gambling wife? Noooo.... AH! I know!

"Ok, sooo... one day, when I was oooh say, 16, I was walking home from school. As you could probably guess, I wasn't the most pop-u-lar boy. Always looking so sad, always with a frown on. I always got picked on..." She thinks squirming is gonna get her loose? HA! "Hold still, calmdown calmdown. Wheeere was I... Oh yes. Always picked on by the big bad jocks. They see me walking and over they come, frothing at the mouth to ruin my day. They push me up against the wall, tell me just relax and it'll be over soon. I don't know about you, but I think it's preeeeeet hard to relax when a 250 pound musclehead holding you by the neck against a wall... I only weight about 160 right now. I take a swing at the big guy, and for once, caught him right in the jaw. He doesn't like that at all. He pulls out a knife, places it in my mouth, right cheek first. 'Let's put a smile on that face!' He slices back quickly, then goes to the other side, puts it in the same position. He takes his time now, making sure it has a curve at the top. Now look, I'm still smiling! Always smiling! Hmmm.... but yooooou're not.... we can changeee that. Hooooold stiiiill... This won't hurt one bit-uh." LIE! It would be absolute torture! "Here it cooooomes..."

"Joker!" FUCK! Fucking Chuckles! The whole moral of MY story is ruined!

"Can't you see I'm busy?!!"

"S-Sorry boss, bu-but we uhh, we got the guy you wanted." Oh how his voice trembled. I love it, LOVE IT!

"Be mooore spe-cif-fic-uh."

"Uhh, that lawyer guy, Reese."

"Mister Reese! Is everything set up like I wanted?" By thaaat, I meant the desk and my flag. I had to send out a message. Actually, two of them. One for ffHarvey Dent... the other to my dearest friend... The Bat-man.

"Yeah, we just g-got everything done." Awww, his voice expressed that little flicker of hope, that maybe, just maaaaybe, him saying that-uh would immmmpress me... It didn't.

"Stupendous! Give me your piece Chuckie."

"Uhh OK boss." Reluctantly, and rightfully so, he passed me his gun. BANG! And now he's dead on the floor! Hahahaha! The girlie let out a little-uh scream and started squirm-ing when the gun went off. Eh, maybe if I ignore it, it'll stop-uh.

"Everything Ok boss-woah shit!" Happy comes running in like a curious cat, and nearly slipped on the ooze pouring-uh out from Chucklesssss head.

"Heee-uh interupted me. I wasss in the middle of a story."

Happy didn't understand, playing the dumb dog routine now-uh. "Uhh what you want us to do with the girl?"

I could've killed her right here and now, but again, why not let them have the funnnn? Give one of them a chance-uh. Of course, she seems like sheee could be fun this one.

"Clean her up. Make sure she doesn't leave." Out came a sigh of relief when he heard the first part, but how quickly it changes to a whimper of fear with the second.

"Well, I think that was a very successful meeting-uh today. We have to maaaake another appoint-ment. Fare-well Dr. Quinzell." HaHaHaHaHaHa!!!

And now, onto Mister Reesey... Mister Reese... Mysteries... Oh! I get it! Not very funny though, not original either. Ah wellll. Hm... two doors; A on the lefttt, B on the right. Buuut which one to choose? Oh I hate this damn game! I choose B! I still got the late Chuckles piece. A door handle can't withstand a speeding bullet... I think.... it can't!

"Boss! You scared the shit outta me!" Fuck! He's not in here, only Dopey. BANG! Well, now no one's in here an-y-more-uh. On to door A! Locked... Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh. Hmm better knock I suppose... *knockknockknockknockknockknockknockkno-*

"What the fucking shit do you wa-oh, boss, didn't knows it was yous!"

"Trick or Treat!" BANG! "Hahahahaha-oh, hello Mister Reesey" FINALLY.

"Well, how do you do Mister Reese. Gooood to finally meet. Well, I ob-vi-ous-ly know who-uh you are... my goodness, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself-uh."

"I know who you are..."

"Hm? Do you now?"

"The Harlequin of Hate, The Ace of Knaves, The-"

"Hahahahahaha!! I have nicknames now? I guess me and Harvey have something in common now!" Which reminds-uh me. Things could get ugly with the message to old Bats, and I want to look-uh my best for Harvey Dent. Guess-uh, I should go get that done before Me and Reesey have our little chat.

"You should be ashamed of what you did to Dent. He was a good man, the symbol of hope this city needed. Him and the Batman could've saved this city from more freaks like you if it weren't for you."

He was still going on and on and on about crap. "Well-uh Mr. Reese, I have a-uh important matter to attend to right nowwww, we'll have to finish catching up later when I finish. Maybe by then, you'lllll be a little less-uh boring." I highly doubt that'll happen-uh. Oh wellll, more pressing mat-ters at hand. Gotta look my best-uh for Harveeey. Hmmm... maybe comb the hair back? Straightennnn the tie... ehh it'll have to dooo. Huh, what a perfect coincidence-uh! The room Reesey is inn, is right next tooo the camera room!

"Happy!! Sleepy!!" Where the hell were they?! Ahhh here they comeee-uh. "Happy, youuu set up the camera, Sleepy, you make sure the lighting-uh is perfeeccct."

"Yes sir." How cute, they both re-spond-ded at the same time.

"Camera's ready boss."  
"Lighting looks good sir."  
"Now Sleepy, goooo do whatever you want. Haaaapy, you wait til I say to start recording-uh, and then get out."

Gotta get myself sit-u-ate-ted. Ahhh that's perfect. "Staaart recording-uh." Let's see how much he likes thisss. "Hi Harv. I knew you wouldn't listen to me if I said that this was from me, sooooo, I figured, why not make it from someone you know to be dead? Hmm? I figured...if I put Rachel's name as the sender, you'd flip your little coin and let it decide whether you shot the box... or burned it-uh. So I settled on good ol' Sally Maroni. I mean, you suuure did a number on him. I guess seatbelts really do save lives, HAHAHAHA!! But, but tell me that it didn't immediately grab your at-ten-tion? Try and tell yourself that I'm wrong, you know I'm not Harvey. Anyway, we really should stop all this fighting Harv, it's getting us nowhere.... it's amusing the hell outta me, but it's not getting anything done-uh. So here's my offer, right now... it should be about 2:35 in the afternoon on Friday, April 8th." Oh, let's hope these idiots-uh get it there in tiiime. "I think we should-uh get together and disssscuss some things. Name our terms, since that's the best start to any debate. Man to erm... half man. Let's say in about a week we meet up... in a place you know so, sooo well... Avenue X. In case you forgot, that's in Sicciro.... but I don't think you could _ever_forget that place could you? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" That should ruffle his feathers-uh. Just a tiiiny little bit. NOW, time foooor the Batttt.

"Attention my children of Gotham, I come before you today to ask a simple favor of you. Ever since my little 'social experiment' went off exactly as I had hoped, Batman hasn't shown us his mug. Where did he go? I know you're out there somewhere Batman, I know you're seeing this. Weren't we having fun? You really need to lighten up a bit Batty, it's only a couple hundred people. Well, I mean, there is the whole business with Commissioner Gordons wife and children. And let's not forget about all those riots, psh. Everyone's lost their mind! I knew that when they saw what Harvey did, their spirits would just break into little tiny shards. They got a good look at the real Harvey Dent, and I guess didn't like what they saw. Have you seen him lately Bat? He's a mess, an even bigger one then me! I must say, I'm fond of my work." And who wouldn't be fond-uh of what they cre-ate-ted if it turned out to beeee Harvey! FUCK. Now I looost my place. Shitshitshitshit FOUND IT!

"But I digress Gotham, I have gotten sidetracked. My point in this is, if the Batman does not return to fight my 'dastardly' deeds, then that newly rebuilt Wayne Manor up there, and all your precious little politicians, especially you Mayor Garcia, since you got threw my grip last time, will be blown sky high. I realized I started out small the last time. But now, I'm starting right at the top. You hear me Batman? Would you come out of your hiding, or have the blood of even more people on your hands? Especially Bruce Wayne himself. How would it feel to have the Prince of Gothams blood to your name? Psht, Prince of Gotham. He may be this citys prince, but I think I deserve a nickname, don't you?" Ahhh Brucey. III bet that he's got-uh some skeletons in his mansion sizeddd closet. No one watches BOTH of his pareeeents get shot and turnsss out per-fect-ly fine. Let's go get Reesey!

"Oh Reesey-poo! Time to come and plaayy-uh!"

"Please, let me go, let me go!"

"SHUT UP!" Maybe I should stop punching people-uh in the head, my hand'sss starting to hurt-uh. Back on camera-uh, gotta fo-cus.

"Yeah, I think you do think I need one. You gave me some after all, what were they again?"

Silence.

"C'mon Coleman, the city's waiting. Answer me." I haven't got time for-uh your Mickey Mouse bullllllshit.

Stillll silent. Maybe another in-tro-duct-tion to Mr. Fisssst will help. "ANSWER ME!!"

"The Harlequin of Hate, The Ace of Knaves! Just let me go, please!" Ahhh so pleasent-uh of you to join us Coleman. Though, I don't care muc for-uh, beggars.

"Hmmm... I think I would like to be called... The Clown Prince of Crime! It's perfect, don't you think Reesey?" I've waited to looong for an answer from you, and to be honest-uh, I've grown bored-uh. Goodbye Mr. Reese! BAM! Ugh, I got Reese-uh all over my favorite jacket! And my flag toooo?! Damnit-uh. But, time for serious-uh businesssss.

"You see Gotham, I needed to prove I was willing to do whatever I need to do to get what I want. Give me back my equal Gotham. And if you don't, you'll see why it's such a funny world we live in. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" I think that went pretty well-uh. Now, time to plan.... and get rid of this mess, that's the second-uh time I almost slipped on brain today-uh.

"Boss? We heard a gun, and didn't know if you needed us." AGAIN WITH THE FUCKING TRYING TO IMPRESS ME! It isn't-uh wooorking.

"Get rid of the body and clean this-uh place up. When you finiiish, go up in the attic-uh, I uhh got a surprise... Make it fast."

"You got it Boss."

* * *

HOLY BALLS. I can't believe it's finally done! I've been working on this thing for soooo long. I never thought I'd finish! But I think this came out pretty good if I do say so myself, but I wanna hear what you guys think, so, you know what to do. I can't promise anything on the next chapter but this; when it's done, it's done. Make of that what you will


	4. Update!

Wow, it's been a long time. I kinda left this story dormant, but whatever. I'm back now, and I'll try to update it.

I originally had this plan of introducing Gordon through a character chapter, but I decided against it. Instead, I'm going to introduce him in one of the story chapters, which will follow from now on.

Oh, and in honor of _The Dark Knight Rises, _I'm gong to be introducing a MAJOR set of characters, specifically one whom you all know quite well if you're as excited for the movie as I am.

That's right, I'm introducing The Flying Graysons! What's that? They're not in the movie you say? Huh, well, I guess I could introduce The League of Shadows instead.

Stay tuned!


	5. Time to go

And now we're back in action ladies and gentlemen! I told you I would get this thing updated as soon as I could didn't I? Well here you go! I'll admit, I originally had plans to show the the events that are described in this chapter (you'll know the ones I'm talking about when you read them), but, plans obviously changed. So instead, I'm starting up something new, which will continue on from this point forward. I've also laid the groundwork for some very interesting scenarios that might take place in future chapters. What could they be? I think you're all smart enough to figure it out once you read it. So enough of me rambling, enjoy the show!

* * *

From inside a completely pitch black room, a small television suddenly comes on. On it, Mike Engel of _Gotham Tonight_ sits with a somber expression on his face. On his left bicep, there is a white band wrapped around his entire arm, which stands out on his black suit.

"I'm Mike Engel of _Gotham Tonight_, bringing you a special report, "Gotham in Chaos: One Year Later." It's been exactly one year since the tragedy in Gotham Harbor, and tonight, we remember the 356 people who were brutally killed when the ferries on which they were on exploded. Men and women alike, even children, all taken in the blink of an eye. The victims of a so-called "social experiment," conducted by the self-proclaimed "Clown Prince of Crime," The Joker."

From the darkness, there is a bit of shuffling, as if someone is moving around to get comfortable in a chair. From what little light comes out of the television, the faint outline of a person, specifically a woman, can be seen.

"For the families of these people, the wounds that were created by this tragedy will never heal. Spouses, parents, siblings, children; taken from them as they were trying to save themselves."

The woman loudly scoffs at this.

"It appears as though the city of Gotham itself will never heal from the repercussions of that fateful night as well. As many of you within the city limits are well aware, almost immediately, Gotham fell into chaos and anarchy. With the near complete breakdown of social order, the police force quickly became overpowered, due in part to the still unexplained disappearance of former Police Commissioner James Gordon. Soon thereafter, the city itself was divided in 2; on one end, the Financial District and Midtown, controlled by former District Attorney Harvey Dent, or as he's come to be known since then, "Two-Face." On the other side, Downtown and The Narrows, controlled solely by The Joker."

On the television, several scenes of rioting and complete chaos are shown.

"Eventually, a major turf war between Dent and The Joker began, the fighting mainly over who would control the entire city."

A video of a tank that has poorly been painted purple and green is shown. It is surrounded by several gun wielding men, all of whom are either wearing clown masks or have their faces painted. Sitting on the cannon is The Joker, decked out in ratty general clothing, complete with war "medals" made of bottle caps and whatnot. The tank has pulled up in front of the old City Hall building, the headquarters of Harvey Dent. The Joker then jumps off the cannon, and orders it to fire on the building. It does, and destroys a good deal of left side. The Joker then jumps back on top of the tank, grabbing a mega-phone in the process.

"Attention Harvey! I have officially declared war upon thee! Consider this my first strike! HA HA HA HA! And look, you and your building match now! HA HA HA HA HA!"

Joker quickly sits back on the cannon and orders it to turn around and leave the scene, at which point the video ends, and Mike Engel reappears.

"Events like that have become common place in this once great city, and even at this very moment, the fighting between Dent and Joker continues. The question on the minds of the people of Gotham is not when the fighting will cease, but instead, what has become of The Batman?"

The woman leans forward to turn the volume all the way up. She stays leaning towards the television, the light now showing off her features. She is a beautiful young woman, her dark auburn hair glistening from the light of the television. An image of The Batman, running across a rooftop on the night of the ferry explosions is shown.

"This is the last known image of The Batman, as he has been completely absent since the night of the tragedy. Despite various threats from The Joker, which have resulted in the deaths of former Wayne Enterprises employee Coleman Reese and the famed circus family known as The Flying Graysons, as well as the attempted murder of billionaire head of Wayne Enterprises himself, Bruce Wayne, The Batman, the "Caped Crusader," has remained out of view. Has he left Gotham entirely? Was he one of the hundreds of people who have been killed in this raging turf war? In an attempt to answer the first question, our team of investigators questioned the Police Forces in both Central City and Metropolis as to whether there has been even a single report of The Batman within those cities. Both forces quickly responded; No. So the question still remains; "Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader?" Unfortunately for everyone, the hope that we will one day receive an answer to this question slowly gets smaller and smaller as each day passes. Thank you for watching this special report, I'm Mike Engel, goodnight, and stay safe."

With that, the young woman turns the television off and leans back in her chair. Almost as if on cue, a door opens up behind her. She doesn't even react to it, as the sound of heavy, plodding footsteps fills the room, followed closely by the sound of the door closing. After a brief moment, the young woman reaches up and pulls a small chain, which turns on a small light above her. The room is revealed to be lavishly filled with various treasures and such. She rises from her seat and walks over to the door, but not before stopping at the shadowed corner of the room. She smiles slightly.

"Time to go," she whispers softly with a slight Middle Eastern accent before opening the door and leaving the room.

From within the shadows, the sound of heavy, almost mechanical breathing is heard. A second later, out steps a hulk of a man wearing a sheepskin jacket. Even through the heavy jacket, it is obvious that the proportions of his muscles are completely unnatural. Engulfing nearly his entire face is some sort of breathing apparatus. From beneath the mask, his expression remains stoic, and the sound of mechanical, labored breathing fills the room. He slowly walks over to the light, the sound of his heavy footsteps echoing around him. He reaches up as if to turn off the light with the chain, but then slowly wraps his massive hand around the bulb itself. He gently caresses it, and then suddenly crushes it between his fingers, once again enveloping the room in darkness. His heavy footsteps once again echo throughout the room as he walks over to the door. He walks out, slamming the door shut in the process.

* * *

Well, there you have it! My return to this story after almost 2, maybe 3 years. I don't know, I've lost count. It's been a long time, let's just say that. I don't know when I'll get the chance to write the next chapter, but I do have some interesting ideas in my head for where I want this story to go, so be on the look out! As always, reviews, comments, criticisms, all are welcome!


	6. The fires rises

Once again, I'm here with another new chapter for this craziness of a story I've concocted here. By the way, yes, I saw The Dark Knight Rises. Twice in 24 hours actually. It's amazing, and is really looking like it's gonna take the place of The Dark Knight as the best in the trilogy. Anyway! Don't worry, if you haven't seen it, there won't be any spoilers from it in this chapter. This was my original idea for how the story would progress months before the movie was released. Enjoy!

* * *

From inside a dark and empty apartment, the sound of sneaking footsteps is heard. From out of the darkness, Harvey Dent partially looks out; he is making sure he is alone. A sense of paranoia and suspicion surrounds him. The darkness completely engulfs the left side of his face. Suddenly, the lights burst on throughout the entire apartment. Harvey quickly covers his eyes. His face however, is perfectly fine, no burns or injuries whatsoever. He looks around the apartment quickly, still searching for something. A quiet footstep is heard behind him, and he instantly turns around. Somehow, he is now holding a gun and aiming it at the source of the sound. Almost as soon as the gun was raised, he drops it to the ground. Standing in front of him is Rachel, also perfectly healthy, not a single mark on her.

He begins to quietly weep in joy at the sight, and rushes over to her as fast as he can. He collapses at her feet, crying tears of unfathomable joy. Rachel simply looks down at him and smiles. Harvey looks up, wiping the tears from his eyes, and smiles. She knells down to his level, at which point he wraps his arms around her in a tight embrace. While in the embrace, she leans over, bringing her lips to his ear.

"You make your own luck…"

Harvey pulls back slowly from her, looking confused at this. Suddenly, the room around them begins to explode, eventually consuming the both of them.

Harvey wakes up in terror. He is sitting in the chair at his desk, though has absolutely no bearings of where he is. He looks down at his hand; he is holding his gun, which is loaded and ready to be fired. He stands up and walks over to the window, his reflection growing clearer as he gets closer. As he does, the horrible facial wounds become more pronounced, until he is staring at almost a perfect reflection. After a few moments of staring at his gruesome reflection, trying and failing to hold back tears, he begins thrashing about, knocking over anything in his path. He raises his gun and turns around to the window. He immediately fires at it, which shatters the entire thing. Overcome with rage and grief, he collapses in a heap against his desk, crying loudly and screaming at the top of his lungs for several moments.

Several hours later, Harvey is still sitting in his destroyed office, stewing and fiddling with his coin. He holds his gun close to his head, ready to fire it at a moment's notice. There is a gentle knock at the door. He ignores it. A few moments later, there is another. This time, he presses a button under the edge of the desk which causes the doors to swing open quickly. From outside, his secretary Maggie cautiously walks in.

"Mr. Dent, sir?"

Harvey looks up at her rage still coursing through his body. He says nothing.

"Umm… you h-have a visitor, s-sir," she stutters nervously.

"Send them in." As he responds, he cocks his gun.

Maggie nods affirmatively and quickly rushes out of the room. A few seconds later, the beautiful woman who was watching the television walks in. She surveys the room, inspecting the damage, yet still retains the seductive smile on her face throughout. She sits in the chair directly across from the desk, still smiling, her expression never changing even when she looks directly at Harvey.

"Hello, Mr. Dent, my name is Talia Al Ghul."

Harvey says nothing, he just stares a hole right through her.

"It is my understanding that you have a certain 'problem' with a rival group, am I correct?"

"You mean the clown," he quickly retorts.

"Yes…the clown. I have a proposition for you, Harvey. One that would not only allow you near total control of Gotham, but would also rid you of the Joker forever."

Harvey looks intrigued at the prospect of this.

"I can see you are interested in what I have to say." Talia lets out a slight chuckle, to which Harvey stares intently.

"My allies and I are offering to destroy the filth that is currently the Narrows, along with the Joker and his motley crew of miscreants. In exchange, we ask that we be allowed that land. We shall be in constant harmony with you in terms of laws and construction projects and such. Downtown will be returned to your complete control as well." She raises her hand for a handshake.

"Do we have an agreement, Mr. Dent?"

After several moments of consideration, Harvey quickly flips his coin. It lands on the clean side, and he reaches over and accepts Talia's handshake.

"Deal…how do you plan on taking him out?"

Talia slowly rises from the chair.

"Don't worry, Mr. Dent, we have our ways," she says as she turns around and leaves, leaving Harvey in a state of confusion.

Elsewhere in the Narrows, the Joker has risen from his hour of sleep that he unwillingly took. Just like Harvey, he too had a nightmare that shook him to his very core. Unlike Harvey however, this is a regular occurrence every time he sleeps, no matter how few and far between those times are. He sulks through the hallways of his new makeshift headquarters, quickly looking in each room, muttering quietly to himself as he goes, the look in his eyes showing not only immense anger, but also a glimmer of sorrow.

"One bad day…one bad day…"

He comes to a room that has two of his henchmen inside. Unaware of his presence behind them, they begin to talk about their boss.

"What'd ya think the boss is talking about when he goes around here muttering 'one bad day…one bad day,' what'd ya think it means?"

"I don't know man, but ya know what? I don't wanna know what that bad day was, cuz it turned him into a fucking loon whatever it was."

Suddenly, the first henchman is shot in the back of the head, falling face first onto the table, blood pouring from his wound. His friend falls over in shock, and quickly backs up against the wall.

"Holy shit, boss, I-I-I didn't know you was there! Oh shit…" he says, fear still flowing through him.

"I went mad! HaHaHaHaHa! I went completely mad! And do you want to know why?" The henchman reluctantly nods his head to say yes as Joker rushes over to him and grabs him by the throat, laughing the entire time. Without warning, he instantly stops laughing, growing serious and angry once again.

"Madness, my dear Bozo, is the emergency exit. You can just step outside, and close the door on all the dreadful things that happened. You can lock them away... forever." Without warning, he shoots Bozo between the eyes at point-blank range, killing Bozo instantly and spraying blood all over. He then lets out a cheerful laugh and jumps up, playfully kicking the body as he does.

"Is that the best reasoning you have for what's wrong with you, or is this simply another lie you tell to avoid having to face the truth?" The voice is strained and mechanical, followed by the same heavy breathing of the massive man.

The Joker turns around, perplexed by this unfamiliar voice. Once he finally sees the hulking mass of a man standing in front of him, he simply looks at him, giving no indication of what, if anything is going through his mind. He stares specifically at the mask engulfing this man's face.

"Whether or not your lie is to save yourself from pain or simply to toy with your victim, that is not why I've come here. I bring you an offer from my associates and myself."

"That's very kind of you to bring me offer, and I'm sure I wouldn't be able to refuse it…it's just unfortunate for you that you've come at a very bad time."

The Joker rushes towards the masked man, raising his gun quickly as he does. The masked man simply reaches out and grabs the gun, crushing it with one hand, then delivers a hard body shot to Joker. The shot itself sends Joker flying backwards onto the table, the force of his landing being enough to completely obliterate it. Still, despite all of that, Joker continues to laugh all the while.

"While I would be more than willing to end your life here and now, that is not why I travelled such a great distance. My associates and I are offering to take care of your problem, specifically Harvey Dent. We shall remove him from the picture entirely, and in return, we want control over Midtown. You may have the Financial District if you so choose, and whatever you decide to do with it, we shall not interfere. Do we have an agreement?"

Unlike Talia, the man simply crosses his arms while the Joker looks up at him, thinking of the proposition.

"I don't make deals with people whose names I'm unfamiliar with…" Joker says with a smirk.

"Bane."

"Well, BANE, consider it a deal. You take out half and half, I get the Financial District. Pleasure doing business with ya big fella." He rises from the broken pile of table debris, clutching his ribs, several of which were broken by the punch.

"Excellent. We'll be seeing each other very soon clown, and I'm sure you'll be quite fond of our work."

Joker leans up against a wall, clearly in pain from his injuries.

"Lookin' forward to it…"

With that, Bane turns around slowly and leaves, the sound of his heavy footsteps echoing through the decrepit halls. Joker leans to look out and watch him go, then suddenly begins to cough up a good amount of blood. The sight of the blood simply causes him to laugh, but he is unable to do so for long without having to clutch his ribs again.

Outside the building, a van is parked. Slowly, Bane comes out of the main entrance and gets into the van. Talia is waiting in the driver's seat. In the back of the van, several pieces of equipment are up and running, specifically monitors which show the inside of the both Joker's and Two-Faces hideouts.

"Well?" Talia questions after a few moments of silence.

"Everything went exactly as we had planned. Did Dent take the bait?"

"I could not have asked for a better meeting. It's a shame that we had to lie about our plan. But it's for the greater good, right my friend?"

"Yes Talia. Gotham burning to ashes is for the greater good. Did the men place the explosives beneath Dent's building?"

"Finished before I even met with him. Here comes your group now."

Several men come running up to the van and jump in, each going to a specific piece of equipment. Talia starts the van and speeds away. After driving for some time, they arrive on the outskirts of the city, on which there is a perfect view of every section of the city itself. Both Bane and Talia step out of the van and stand on the overlook. One of the men in the van shouts out that both the Joker and Harvey are in their respective quarters. With this, Bane reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small device. On it, there is a blinking red light. Talia looks at it, then back to Bane and smiles. She reaches over and lightly grabs his free hand, to which he reciprocates the gesture.

"The fire rises…" she whispers.

"The fire rises…" he too whispers to the best of his ability. With that, he presses the red light. A moment later, two MASSIVE explosions erupt in the city, one in the center of the Narrows, the other in the heart of the Financial District.

* * *

There you have it! I honestly don't know when I'm gonna get the next chapter up. In all honesty, I could've split this into two chapters and that would've been awesome. But I didn't, oh well.

Also, on a different note, say a prayer for the people in Colorado. I'm sure you've heard about what happened there, and how utterly fucking awful it is. So yeah, just say a prayer for them if ya would.


End file.
